UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler thinks UFC champs such as Israel Adesanya should be more aggressive in the cage.
Chandler is coming off of his three-round war with Justin Gaethje at UFC 268. It was arguably one of the greatest fights in UFC history and featured nonstop action from the two lightweight brawlers.
In light of his recent fight, Chandler thinks that some of the UFC’s titleholders need to impose their will a bit more in the cage. This comes after Adesanya earned a unanimous decision victory over Robert Whittaker but many were disappointed by Adesanya’s lack of output in the later rounds.
During a recent tweet, Chandler praised Adesanya’s skill set but also stated why he prefers that UFC champions take more risks when defending their titles.
“Trust me, I love Izzy,” Chandler said. “But we have gotten to a point where a dominant champ just needs to stand there, throw a few shots per round and he will not lose unless he gets caught and he will always get the nod. Izzy god paid on this last contract… go FIGHT, don’t you dare spar.”
Chandler later clarified that champions don’t need to throw caution to the wind to put on a stellar title defense.
“I’m not advocating ‘banging’ over ‘tactically fighting’, all I’m trying to advocate for is a spirit of inflicting dominance in the face of danger. Don’t play it safe. Take more chances. I don’t need you to plod forward with reckless abandon…but have a little anger in your heart.”
Chandler has lost back-to-back fights but is expected to return against Tony Ferguson later this year. The fight hasn’t been booked and scheduled by the UFC just yet, but that could come in the next few weeks. Ferguson has recently accused Chandler of delaying the fight.
Chandler is a former Bellator lightweight champion who earned wins over Benson Henderson and Patricky Freire during his time with the promotion. He made his UFC debut last year at UFC 257 with a knockout win over Dan Hooker.
Adesanya is expected to defend his title next against Jared Cannonier later this year, and Chandler hopes that he and other UFC champs be a bit more aggressive in their approach to defending their titles.
Do you agree with Michael Chandler?
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